A breather device (or “breather”) connects to or is formed with a container to remove particulates and, if incorporated with a desiccant, moisture from air, before the air comes into contact with contents of the container. The container contents may be, for example, liquids or other contents, such as oils, foods, greases, paints, drinks, fuels, glues, acids or others. The container contents may alternately be dry goods or product, for example, powders, cements, flour, sugar, particulate chemicals, papers, circuit boards, electrical enclosures, transformers, or other dry chemicals, substances or equipment. In short, breathers are used on basically any container where moisture or particles are undesired contaminants. Breathers are necessary because tanks, reservoirs, containers and other vessels must have openings to allow air (or other gases of the like) to flow into and out of the container, as volume of the contents of the tank or vessel change.
Accordingly, breathers allow air (or other gases) to enter a reservoir (or vessel) and to exit the reservoir, thus preventing the reservoir (or vessel) from expanding and contracting, which could result in an over- or under-pressure condition harming the vessel or its contents, destruct the structural integrity of the vessel, or otherwise adversely or undesirably affect vessels, contents, or other effects. For example, in a hydraulic reservoir, such as a tank containing oil or other fluids, the fluid level in the hydraulic reservoir will vary greatly over time. The level may substantially continuously change over periods, for example, in view of the area, usage (fill and drain, as well as other aspects), number of cylinders, temperatures, pressures, and similar parameters and conditions, and such change can cause the hydraulic fluid level to fluctuate. Each time the hydraulic fluid level drops, air must enter the reservoir (to prevent a vacuum pressure condition). That air enters through a breather, which is installed to filter the air before it enters the hydraulic reservoir.
If the hydraulic fluid (e.g., oil) level is increased, air must exit the reservoir to prevent over-pressurization. That exhaust air normally exits through the same breather which was primarily installed to filter the air entering the reservoir (i.e., to prevent particulates and moisture from entry). This bi-directional flow of air through a breather is typical of most industrial breathers in use in the past. Air passes through the breather, in both directions (i.e., at certain times, from external, into and through the breather, to internal; and at certain other times, from internal, into and through the breather, to external), to allow for expansion and contraction of fluid or other product levels of the reservoir.
In order to prevent particulates and moisture from entry and exit, breathers typically include filters. Filters of breathers can be made of a large variety of materials or substances, for example, metal, plastic, wood, glass, clay, paper and others. The particular materials of construction of breather filters often depend upon the type of contaminant that must be trapped and its physical state (e.g., solid vs. liquid), the vessel liquids or other contents for protection from contamination, environmental conditions, temperature, flow rate, and other considerations. Likewise, the materials of construction of the particular filter medium, itself, can also vary widely. For example, filter medium, depending on application, can be paper, synthetic materials, activated carbon, silica gel, absorbent papers, wire mesh, molecular sieve, magnets, electro-mechanical or mechanical means, combinations, and/or others.
In operation of a breather that provides a dessicant, this desiccant breather being an example of one type of breather device, ambient air is directed through the desiccant breather when entering a vessel. As the ambient air passes through the breather, the ambient air comes into direct contact with the filter of the breather and any other moisture removal means thereof. Some breathers have an air diffuser (e.g., a sponge-like device that spreads the air flow). One type of dessicant employed in breathers as filter medium is silica gels. Certain of these silica gels used for breathers have included indicating dyes. When the silica can no longer adsorb any additional moisture, the dyes cause the silica to appear changed in color. The change in color indicates that the entire breather device must be replaced, to ensure moisture removal.
Conventional breathers are usable only once and then disposed. In particular, when the breather life span or cycle ends (e.g., the filter media clogs or is spent), the entire breather must be replaced. Breathers have not been serviceable, reactivatable, rechargeable or otherwise repaired, save full replacement. However, the breather, itself, is not necessarily antiquated or damaged at the end of life when it must be replaced. The conventional breathers, therefore, waste time, labor, materials and expense.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional breather device 1, for example, a silica gel type breather such as is similar to the Air Sentry® D-Series™ line of breather devices, includes a top cap 2 and a filter holder 3. The filter holder 3, for example, is a middle section of the breather 1. The filter holder 3 stores or retains a filter media 8 (e.g., silica gel in the example of the Air Sentry D line of breathers). The breather 1 also includes a bottom cap 4 which is coupled to or integral with a port 5. The port 5 connects the breather 1 to a container 9, for example, the port 5 mates with an opening 6 of the container 9. In the breather 1, both incoming and outgoing air (or other gas) from the container 9 must pass through the breather 1 and into and out of the container 9 via the opening 6. Entering gas to the container 9 flows through the breather 1, to the port 5, and into the opening 6 to the container 9, and exiting gas from the container 9 flows through the opening 6 of the container 9, to the port 5, and through the breather 1 to an outlet vent (a “gap”, as later described).
Thus, when an air space 11 in the container 9 increases because less fluid 10 resides in the container 9 (or other change in condition of liquid and/or gas contents of the container 9 increases the air space 11), air (or other gas) 7 must enter the container 9 via the breather 1, to fill the air space 11. In the breather 1, as an example, air 7 enters the breather 1 via a gap (not expressly shown) between the top cap 2 and the filter holder 3 of the breather 1. The air 7 passes through an air diffuser (not shown in FIG. 1), which is, for example, a sponge like device as previously mentioned, and the air diffuser spreads the air 7 flow through the filter media 8 (i.e., silica gel as example). The air 7 from the filter media 8 passes to the port 5 and through the opening 6 to the container 9 to fill the air space 11.
On the other hand, when the air space 11 within the container 9 is reduced as the amount of fluid 10 in the container 9 increases (or as other change in condition causes reduction of the air space 11), air (or other gas) 7 from within the container 9 must exit the container 9. The air 7 in the air space 11 exits the container 9 by passing through the opening 6, and entering the breather 1 through port 5 of the breather 1. As can be understood, this exiting air 7 must pass back through the silica gel 8 of the breather 1, and then ultimately exit the breather 1 via the same gap between the top cap 2 and the filter holder 3. Because the gap allows both entry and exit for the breather 1 and container 9, ambient air can freely come into contact with the silica gel 8 of the breather 1 whether or not the air space 11 changes, and air of the air space 11 of the container 9 remains in steady contact with the silica gel 8 (i.e., whether or not air is actively entering or exiting the container 9) and passes through the silica gel 8 when entering or escaping the container 9.
As the air contacts the silica gel 8 of the breather 1, and also as the air passes, entering and exiting in both directions, through the silica gel 8, the life of the silica gel 8 is continuously reduced. To extend the life of silica gel 8, (or any other filter media) it may be desirable to have the inlet and exit ambient air to bypass silica gel 8. Although silica gel is specifically described for purposes of example, it should be understood that any and all types of the filter media 8 will tend to have reduced life span because of the continuous contact of ambient air and/or air in the air space 11 with the filter media 9, as well as the dual directional flows of air entering and exiting the container 9.
Thus, breathers have generally had limited life span for effective operation. The live span (or life cycle or cycle) of a breather is important because this impacts a number of operating and financial metrics. Certain of these metrics include that longer breather life improves return on investment in the breather; lessens labor time and effort required for servicing the breather; reduces and avoids costs otherwise required for replacements and inventories; improves effectiveness of the breather and limits contamination of vessel contents (e.g., there is less chance for maintenance issues with longer cycles between swapping out breathers); and lessens waste that results because conventional breathers must be wholly replaced when filter media is spent.
It would therefore be desirable to provide new and improved breather systems and methods for intake and exhaust of air and other gases from vessels and containers. It would also be desirable to improve life cycle longevity of breathers, filters and filter media. It would further be desirable to provide more usable, safe, and convenient breather systems, methods and operations, to reduce labor and servicing required, increase contaminant removal and overall effectiveness, reduce waste, increase economic results, improve performance, and provide other advantages.